The crowd took their seats in the main hall, and the atmosphere was somewhat chilly and awkward. Tao Dong kept glancing at Ye Zhizhou, appearing concerned but hesitant.
On his way here, Shen Tingwei had roughly learned about the arranged marriage situation and sensed Ye Zhizhou's dislike for his birth mother, Lady Tao. He coldly remarked, "It's one thing for Father-in-law to have Lady Tao welcome the guests, but why should she also serve them?"
Upon hearing this, Zou Qing's face darkened, and he glared at Tao Dong, saying, "Why are you still here? Go down and have the servants bring tea!"
Tao Dong forcefully suppressed her emotions, tugged on her handkerchief, and rose politely with lowered eyes, excusing herself. As she left, she deliberately walked around Ye Zhizhou and gently patted his shoulder, conveying a meaningful look.
Ye Zhizhou pretended not to notice and lowered his head, sitting quietly next to Shen Tingwei. After the others left, Zou Qing composed himself and spoke first, addressing Shen Tingwei, "General Shen..."
"No need to be so formal, Father-in-law. Just call me Tingwei," Shen Tingwei interrupted him, then bowed again and continued, "I've been recovering from my injuries all this time and couldn't bring Xiaoqing back to visit. I hope you don't mind."
Zou Qing felt uncomfortable being called "Father-in-law" by him. He turned his gaze to Ye Zhizhou and adopted a stern expression as a concerned father, saying, "Xiaoqing, if you wanted to return with Tingwei, couldn't you have at least informed us in advance? This way, your father could have made proper preparations and not delayed such an esteemed guest."
Ye Zhizhou was being pushed aside so they could discuss official matters. He quickly grabbed Shen Tingwei, who was about to interject, and excused himself, "I must take my leave now, Father, Husband. Please continue your conversation."
With that, he broke free from Shen Tingwei's eager attempt to hold him back, hurriedly bowed, and turned to leave. He had come to the Zou residence with the intention of causing a scene; he couldn't afford to linger any longer.
As he reached the entrance of the garden, he sensed Tao Dong's presence through his psychic network. He furrowed his brows and signaled one of the Zou household servants for a brief conversation. Then, he changed his course and made his way towards Yuan Hui's courtyard.
Yuan Hui's courtyard was tightly shut, far from the lively scene that he remembered. After knocking on the door and waiting for a while, it finally creaked open, and the person who opened it had an unfriendly attitude, asking, "Who are you?"
Not wanting to deal with such troublesome servants, he used his psychic power to clear the way and reached Yuan Hui's secluded small temple without any hindrance. Inside, Yuan Hui's personal maid tried to stop him, but he easily incapacitated her with a simple dose of medicine.
Yuan Hui heard the commotion and came out, witnessing the scene of her maid collapsing. She was about to scream when Ye Zhizhou quickly approached and covered her mouth.
"Mother, do you still remember when I hid in your sedan chair and followed you to Baiyun Temple to pray?" Ye Zhizhou said.
Yuan Hui froze, staring wide-eyed at him. Then, after looking at his face, she struggled intensely and mumbled, "Zou Qing."
Ye Zhizhou furrowed his brow, searched through the host's memories, and continued, "When I was three years old, I tore Father's painting. You helped me cover it up, telling Father that it was a stray cat that damaged it."
Yuan Hui stopped struggling, her eyes filled with astonishment. This incident should have been known only to her and Qing Qing. How could Zou Qing...
Seeing her thoughts, he continued, "When I was three and a half years old, I wet my brother's bed during a nap. I was afraid you'd make fun of me, so I falsely accused my brother, leading to Father scolding him."
"And there was another time during New Year's when I accidentally broke your dressing box..."
...
One by one, Yuan Hui fell completely silent, staring at him with a mixture of doubt and confusion.
"Mother, whether you believe it or not, I am Zou Qing, and the one you sent to the countryside is the imposter," he slowly released his hand that covered her mouth, looking into her eyes earnestly. "When I was four years old, Tao Dong deliberately exposed me to a patient with smallpox, then disguised Zou Qing to look like he had been infected. She persuaded Grandma to send me and Zou Qing to the countryside. Half a month later, Tao Dong also came to the countryside. She made me wear Zou Qing's clothes, repeatedly applied a potion to change my appearance, brainwashed me into thinking I was Zou Qing."
Yuan Hui opened her mouth, and her confusion turned into shock.
He took out a beauty pill and showed it to her, then pointed to his own face. "This face is fake, created by Tao Dong with a potion. Recently, I remembered my childhood memories, realized Tao Dong's conspiracy, and managed to obtain the antidote to restore my appearance. Mother, I am truly Zou Qing."
"Are you... Qing Qing?" Yuan Hui hesitated, extending her hand to touch his face. She stopped halfway and shook her head. "No, it's impossible. Qing Qing is in the countryside. You're lying to me. You must be lying to me."
"Mother!" Ye Zhizhou sighed in exasperation, rummaged through the host's memories, and, swallowing his embarrassment, continued, "Mother, you have a mole on your lower back. Once, you and Father... I accidentally saw it. You and Father thought I was asleep, and you... Your clothes were pink at that time, with butterflies embroidered on them."
Yuan Hui froze, then rushed forward excitedly. "How could you know that? How could you possibly know that? Only Qing Qing slept with me when she was a child. How could you know? It must have been Qing Qing who told you, right? Zou Qing, you can't deceive me!"
"Mother, I haven't deceived you. I really am Zou Qing." Ye Zhizhou looked into her eyes and affirmed, "The Zou Qing you mentioned has none of these memories. If you don't believe me, you can write a letter and ask him! Furthermore, the maidservants and servants around you have long been bribed by Tao Dong. They've been brainwashing you. You need to wake up!"
"No, I can't possibly mistake my own child..." Yuan Hui covered her face, shaking her head forcefully, her voice gradually choked. "I don't believe it. How could you be Qing Qing... If you are Qing Qing, then what have I been doing all these years... How could you..."
Ye Zhizhou sighed inwardly, approached her, and embraced her, soothingly patting her back. While using his psychic power to comfort her, he said, "If you don't believe me, I can take the appearance-restoring antidote right now. Once you see my true appearance, you'll understand everything."
Yuan Hui's sobbing lessened, and she wiped her tears, looking at him closely for a moment. Suddenly, she locked eyes with determination. "You said your face is fake, that Tao Dong used a potion to change your appearance?"
Ye Zhizhou nodded.
"Do you have the antidote?"
He nodded again.
A hint of determination flickered in Yuan Hui's eyes as she grabbed him and headed outside. "Fine, let's find your father and confront Tao Dong! You will eat the antidote on the spot to prove it to me. If you dare to deceive me, I will expel both you and Tao Dong from the Zou family!"
This request aligned with Ye Zhizhou's intentions. As he continued to exert his psychic power, he cooperated with Yuan Hui and walked towards the main hall.
Zou Qing was in the middle of questioning Shen Tingwei about the matters concerning the Huainan Salt Gang. When he saw Yuan Hui pulling Ye Zhizhou in, he couldn't hold back his irritation and snapped, "Why have you two come here? Well, you're not needed here. Go to the backyard."
Yuan Hui ignored him, released Ye Zhizhou's hand, walked to the door, and instructed a servant to call Tao Dong. She then sat down with a stern expression.
"You!" Zou Qing was about to scold, but when he saw Shen Tingwei getting up to greet Ye Zhizhou, he swallowed his anger and, suppressing his irritation, said, "Madam, what are you doing? We have guests."
"You'll soon find out what I'm doing," Yuan Hui straightened her collar and looked at him, her gaze cold and piercing, as if she had dipped it in ice and hidden needles. "Husband, your mother has taken a new concubine for you."
Zou Qing's brow twitched, and he took several deep breaths to contain the anger that nearly erupted.
Shen Tingwei listened to their conversation and turned to Ye Zhizhou with a questioning look.
"It's nothing," Ye Zhizhou guided him to sit in a chair, leaned in close, and said, "Don't be surprised no matter what you see in a moment."
Tao Dong arrived at the main hall with a puzzled expression and was unsettled by the serious expressions on the faces of Yuan Hui and everyone else. "Master, Madam, what's going on here?"
"Stand aside," Yuan Hui waved her hand to interrupt her, then turned to Ye Zhizhou, her eyes filled with hope and madness. "Take the antidote, right here, right now."
Ye Zhizhou broke free from Shen Tingwei's hand and, amidst the skeptical or displeased gazes of the onlookers, stood up, walked to the table, and swallowed the pill. Then, he poured a cup of warm tea and dampened a handkerchief before vigorously wiping his face.
Upon seeing his actions, Tao Dong's complexion changed, and her heart couldn't help but tense up.
Shen Tingwei glanced at the palm of Ye Zhizhou's hand and got up, walking directly to his side, gazing at him intently.
As he continued to wipe, the handkerchief gradually accumulated yellow stains, and the smooth facial skin began to wrinkle. Yuan Hui couldn't help but lean in to look, while Zou Qing's eyes showed a hint of astonishment.
"Qing'er, you..."
"Father, please remain calm. It's just some residual toxins. They will be expelled soon," he raised his head to reassure and then gave a stern look to Shen Tingwei, who was itching to intervene. He lowered his head and continued wiping.
Tao Dong, who had remained composed until now, couldn't stay calm any longer and urgently said, "Qing'er, what are you doing? There are still guests here; this is too rude. Please stop."
"Shut your mouth!" Yuan Hui glared at her and then shouted loudly, "Someone, bind Aunt Tao here and gag her!"
Zou Qing had an instinct to intervene but hesitated when he saw Yuan Hui's fierce gaze and Ye Zhizhou's face.
The servants arrived swiftly, and before Tao Dong could struggle or scream, she was bound and gagged. Panic gradually filled her eyes.
A quarter of an hour later, the slightly yellowed layer of skin on Ye Zhizhou's face was finally wiped away, revealing a pale but swollen layer underneath. The warm tea had been replaced with a basin of warm water, and the handkerchief had accumulated several dirty streaks. His hand was sore from all the wiping, and he couldn't help but feel even more sympathetic toward the host. Those toxins had penetrated his skin and flesh over more than a decade. If it weren't for the miraculous pill provided by the system, the host's face might never have recovered in this lifetime.
Layer by layer, his facial features visibly shrank, and his delicate, straight nose bridge was exposed. His eyes, which had appeared lifeless due to slightly thick upper eyelids, gradually revealed their original lively contours. Finally, his lips were peeled off from the last layer of dead skin, and his previously dark, purplish lips became rosy and full.
Yuan Hui watched him, her breath becoming increasingly erratic. When his entire face was revealed, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and let out a sob that had changed in pitch.
The water in the basin had turned murky, and the freshly changed handkerchief had turned pitch black. Ye Zhizhou took a new handkerchief handed to him by Shen Tingwei and wiped his face, smiling at Yuan Hui. "Mother, it's been more than a decade. Do you still remember what I looked like when I was a child? Do I look like that now?"
"You do, it's so much alike... Qing Qing..." Yuan Hui rushed forward, trembling as she touched his face with her hand, tears finally falling. "You're Qing Qing? Then, all these years, what about the one I raised... How could you... Qing Qing, you're really..."
Zou Qing also wore a shocked expression and couldn't help but ask loudly, "What's going on? How did your face become like this? Madam, why did you say he's Qing Qing? What... what's happening?"
Tao Dong, who was bound, displayed a glimmer of despair in her eyes and lowered her head, her face pale.